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AGRA FORT- CONSERVATION OF HERITAGE IN THE URBAN CONTEXT

Amita Baig

Agra is ranked amongst the most outstanding historic cities in the world and certainly best known destination in India. The pinnacle of Mughal architecture, spanning the reign of three Mughal Emperors, finds expression here. Today the city boasts three World Heritage Sites and innumerable other monuments of national and indeed international importance. Its architectural eminence rose when Akbar declared his capital 'Dar E Khilafat' here, and began the construction of Agra Fort on a scale never attempted before. Agra is historically the crossroads of Indian civilisation. Emperor Akbar described it as the "emporium of the traffic of the world" and even today Agra is the crossroads for products and people traversing the country. Located as it is in the centre of India, Agra has always played a pivotal role in the history of India. It always was, and continues to be a centre of trade and of great cultural traditions, even though today it functions primarily as a small scale industrial town, with foundries, glassworks, textiles, and tanneries. Essentially this is the economic backbone of the town, and not, as one might be led to believe, tourism. This paper deals specifically with Agra Fort which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 and in comparison to other sites in the country, is, along with the Taj Mahal, the most threatened by urbanisation. In the forty years since the Archaeological Monuments and Sites Remains Act was promulgated in 1958, Urban growth in India has been at an alarming rate and the population of the country has more than doubled. It was perhaps inconceivable that the newly born nation state with a population of barely 400 million would, at the turn of the century cross the one billion mark. The Act, which then covered walls of the monument leaving most vulnerable its immediate precinct. The pressure of urbanisation was not an aspect which troubled the then nascent institution. Agra Fort was declared a World Heritage Site based on ICOMOS' opinion that the "Agra Fort, significant for the Moghul rule of the 17th century may not be artificially dissociated from the Taj Mahal despite the commemorative nature of the latter." The Agra Fort is located on the banks of the River Jamuna, a few kilometres north west of the Taj Mahal and was built by Akbar between 1565 and 1573. Originally Rajput Fortification, it came into Mughal possession at the end of the 15th century. While it rose to great architectural heights in the reign of Akbar, it was in Shahjahan's reign that the Fort was exquisitely embellished for a brief period of

glory. The citadel which dominates the town was strengthened and extended as the first major Mughal capital in India was consolidated. Towering more than a hundred feet high, the fort is protected with double ramparts and a continuous moat of more than two kilometers. The Delhi Darwaza, the principle entrance to the Fort with an axis to the Jama Masjid was partly demolished in 1875. Within, the Hathi Pol, so named because of the two stone caparisoned elephants which once stood guard have also been vandalised. Most of the palaces still extant within the fort were constructed by Emperor Jehangir and later Shahjahan. Urban Impact: It is important to address the urban issues which have a direct and often irreversible impact on the monument. While the monuments are of global significance, their future will only be ensured within a civic order that provides for the well being of the community and their environment. The city of Agra, home to over 1.2 million people and host to over 2.5 million visitors annually, is located in the Taj trapezium, designated by the Government of India in the early seventies. The objective of declaring this trapezium encompassing three major cities, Agra, (with the World Heritage Sites of the Taj Mahal, and Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri nearby), the pilgrim city of Mathura, the Keoladeo National Park {and World heritage Site) and Ferozabad was to provide a 50 kilometer "controlled development" zone which would ensure for future generations an environment befitting this heritage. The declaration of this trapezium was as a result of the construction of a major oil refinery at Mathura 40km north-west of Agra. This was major cause of concern for both environmentalists and conservationists who had fears about the sulphur dioxide emissions and its impact on the marble facing of the Taj. Twenty years on, the refinery has met all international emission standards, but the pollution from local and small scale industry was never considered. Brick kilns, iron foundries, glassworks and other service industries grew unchecked. The chronic shortage of power has resulted in the small scale industries being dependent on individual diesel generators further exacerbating pollution loads in the city. The substantial population below the poverty line burn dung, old tyres and other biogenic fuels to meet their daily survival needs. The city faces an acute shortage of basic amenities. It's residents receive barely two hours of water supply daily and the antiquated sewage system caters to less than half the population. The Yamuna River, along which the Fort was built, is today no more than a turbid rivulet, as domestic and industrial waste are disgorged untreated into it. Methane gas bubbles can be seen at the river near the Fort, and for much of the year the river is stagnant. Traffic at the crossroads of India has reached an all time high. Most goods in the country today move by road and pass through the city centre, causing not only pollution but also a hazardous environment. About 15,000 trucks pass through the city centre (roughly 1 million tonnes of goods in transit) per day. The main highway

to the only bridge across the river runs along the eastern side of the Fort further contributing to its attrition. A public interest petition filed in 1984 seeking measures to protect the Taj Mahal has drawn public and indeed governmental attention to the degraded urban environment. In a series of far reaching judgments over the last year the court has ordered the closure of all polluting industries, alternative fuels where possible relocation of other industries outside the trapezium and the diversion of national highways from the city centre. It has also ordered the state to augment the city water supply, provide treatment plants and further mandated that treated effluent will be used for irrigation and not disgorged into the river. Solid waste management including recycling and landfill are all part of a time bound programme laid down by the country's apex court. A Regional Development Authority has been established to monitor the implementation of the Supreme Court orders. Buffer Zone: ICOMOS has recommended that 'the competent authorities take all necessary measures to create a buffer zone between the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal which bear exceptional and complementary testimony to a civilisation which has disappeared, that of the Moghul Empire.' State Authorities and indeed planning imperatives did not reflect this vision. In fact the US Park Service Commission Report of 1995 has focused its attention on the Taj Mahal and the buffer zone. The Agra Fort in the most recent proposal, stands at the edge of the buffer zone, largely excluded from the Taj Park, (the Shahjehan gardens) thus leaving the precincts of the Fort most vulnerable. The Agra Fort stands on the periphery of the buffer zone of the Taj developed over the last 2 decades does, in part serve to reduce the impact on the monuments even though it is limited to the southern end of the Fort. The area abutting the Fort on the western side is a Ram Lila Festival ground when it should actually be an extension of the Taj Park Buffer Zone. Planning emphasis has so far been on the preservation of the Taj Mahal and it is imperative now to extend that concern to the Fort and its precincts. Efforts must be made to expand the green belt on the western and northern sides of the Fort. As much of the parking diverted from near the Taj has been located here, sensitive landscape design will ensure adequate parking with interspersed planting. The proportion of soft walkways needs to be increased along with adequate tree cover so that pedestrianisation is encouraged. This will entail landscape planning of a highly skilled nature. The plantation of trees must not merely provide a green buffer for the monument, but make an effort to evoke through its layout, the various axis to the Fort especially from the Delhi Gate towards the Jama Masjid and also the visual corridors between the Fort and the Taj Mahal. Further efforts must be made to accommodate tourist facilities such as toilets, kiosks and facilities for the handicapped. Being a particularly large monument

sufficient visitor facilities must be provided within the precinct of the site including aspects such as first aid or emergency assistance. The 1996 Supreme Court judgment in addition to ordering the diversion of truck traffic from near the Fort will also ensure untreated waste illegally disgorged into the moat of the Fort, is diverted. This will not merely improve the visual quality of the area but will also control the ingress of water into the fabric of the building which is currently damaging the sandstone, causing spalling in some areas. The Challenges of Management: The role and status of this monument over the centuries has also undergone change. While the Fort at Delhi continues to play a major, if ceremonial, role in the events that shape the country, the Agra Fort ceased to be of national or even regional consequence when the capital of the Empire shifted and declined, it remained a mute witness to the changing fortunes of the nation. One of the turning points in the history of the Fort which affected its role in the city was its occupation by British garrisons during the first war of independence in 1857. The local population as part of the uprising tried to storm the citadel. The British retaliated by fortifying their stronghold with the construction of a railway station bifurcating the Fort from the city. More critically it created an attitudinal barrier between the Fort and the citizens as it also closed access to the historic Jama Masjid. Once the place of worship was cut off, there was no possibility of restoring the bonds that keep monuments in India an integral part of living heritage. Quaint remnants of this remain, the Indian Army continues to occupy a major portion of the Fort thus excluding the common man. At least two-thirds of the Fort, formerly the British garrison, remains with the Indian Army. Despite orders issued by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for the Army to vacate the Fort, this has not been achieved. The Army presence in the Fort is minimal and as it has a substantial cantonment nearby, its continuance here cannot be justified. Much of the Mughal evidences have been overlaid by British Barracks and while the historic structures have not collapsed, much is to be desired in terms of conservation and indeed interpretation of this section of the fort. Equally it must be stated that it was the colonial government who first sought to restore the heritage of Agra and clearly much of what we see today can be attributed to them. They believed however, that this was the function of the state and ensured that this was permanently divorced from the community. Only local labour, not termed as artisans, were employed in the conservation effort. The basic principles of conservation and protection are carried forward from the colonial period with its attendant colonial perspective, with the concerned responsible arms of government working in isolation of each other. The "palatial" segment of the Fort is today open to the public. The Archaeological Survey of India is responsible for the monument itself, its conservation, restoration and adequate watch and ward staff. However, there is a conflict of interest between the conservators and the tourism industry. The ASI works within the confines of its scope, while the tourism industry

burgeons and disgorges increasing number of visitors and "entertainment" into the site. Efforts need to be made to reconcile this. With multiple agencies including the State Government, the ASI, the Army and the tourism industry responsible for the impact on Monument, Its management, therefore, remains complex. While both the Archaeological Survey of India and the Indian Army are arms of the Government of India, the legal owners, the State government is the nodal agency responsible for the urban issues which affect the site at the city level, in terms of traffic management, decongestion of the city and provision of civic amenities. The state must also legislate to expand, monitor and control the buffer zone. Ideally the Buffer Zone plan for the Agra Fort and Taj Mahal must be notified as part of the Master Plan for the city. Of equal concern is the tourism industry. About 1 million Tourists visit Agra Fort annually. This places enormous pressure on the building, but most of all on the conservators who have to battle for space to carry out their work. Other pressures such as Son et Lumiere using outdated, invasive technology and amphi-theatres destroying the fabric of the Mughal courtyard, further impinge on the integrity of the site and make management more difficult. Site Management Plan: The Fort today is in urgent need of a Site Management Plan. Presently it stands with no information or signage which could facilitate visitor information and thus enrich the visitor experience. It is necessary to evoke a sense of history of the Fort as it was. Signage around the monument is rare. Except for those tourists who are with guides or in groups there is no information available on the sites role in history and indeed their still pre-eminent position as the heritage of the world. The actual and perceptional linkage between the Fort and the Taj Mahal is not articulated. The present circulation of visitors to the Fort is through the Jehangiri Mahal, adjacent to the Akbari Mahal (now collapsed), of the Akbar period. This was the zenana with screened and private chambers. This leads to the Khas Mahal, comprising of marble pavilions overlooking the river and nearby the "Garden of Grapes" so named because of the design on the cloisters. At the north east corner of the Khas Mahal stands the Sheesh Mahal or Palace of Mirrors. Beyond this lies the Muthaman Burj or splendidly decorated tower. This also has a courtyard used for playing Pachisi, a form of Backgammon. From here the visitor proceeds to the Hall of Private Audience and then to the Hamam i Shahi or Royal Baths. Here too is the Fish Palace and the small but exquisite Nagina Mosque. The visitor then retraces his steps to exit through the Diwan i Aam, or Hall of Public Audience. Salimgarh and the outstanding Pearl mosque are closed to the public. The rationale for this visitor route is that it is chronologically devised i.e. entering from the oldest section of the Fort. But there is no information to tell the visitor why it is so or where he is heading. There is also no didactic or visual information to

arouse visitor interest. It is suggested:To enable the visitor to correctly interpret the site entry should be through the Hall of Public Audience and then sequentially work one's way into the more private areas of the palaces. The route should encourage a sense of discovery and imagination of how the court functioned. The site visit needs to be oriented for maximum visitor appreciation. Public access areas need to be mapped with aheritage route and with appropriate signage installed for visitor facility and information. Further, visitor access areas need to be properly evaluated thus closing those areas which are hazardous to public safety, an important yet neglected aspect in most historic buildings. Such areas could be viewed through the doorways and suitable signage provided. Similarly, areas like the Sheesh Mahal currently closed for conservation, also need to be advised. Unfortunately not enough is known about the conservation work. Therefore an important recommendation is that a site interpretation centre must be established, not merely as an information centre, but as a tool to educate visitors about conservation, its achievements and its targets. Access to such information will ensure greater public awareness. Visitors routes need to be adequately channelised to prevent people touching or indeed vandalising the fragile plaster work. This would particularly apply to the Halls of Public and Private Audience which can equally well be viewed from outside. Certainly visitors tripping over the wiring and lights of the Son et Lumiere, thus further endangering the monument ,must be controlled. Emphasis needs to be given to upgrading tourist facilities. There is little or no published material available, something that must be remedied. Toilet facilities need to be upgraded (if possible relocated more discreetly) cafeteria facilities need to be more carefully monitored as there appears to be no suitable waste disposal system and the moat of the Fort presently serves this purpose. Finally, much of this will be achieved if there is a Site Management Committee where responsibilities are clearly defined. The decisions of the committee must emerge by consensus. The representation of the local community must be ensured and their role in the protection of their heritage reiterated. To summarise, the Agra Fort urgently requires: 1. Buffer Zone Master Plan to extend the Taj Park so as to include more substantively the Fort's environs.

2. Site Management Plan for improved visitor facilitation

and management

3. Agra Fort Management Committee This Committee will monitor and coordinate these initiatives and ensure that the imperatives of the nodal agencies such as the State Governments, Archaeological Survey of India, Army and Tourism are addressed. It will also examine all development proposals to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the site is retained at all costs; to ensure the priority of conservation, while monitoring visitor access. It will further assess the requirement of watch and ward staff or guides as a strategy to include the local community in the protection of their heritage. All decisions would reflect the best interests of the site and respect the norms and conventions of UNESCO, other national and international guidelines for historic site preservation and management. Most importantly it will in the long term restore the Fort to a position of pride and dignity for the community, and for the nation.